The Strike lands in Philly - The Foundry at The Fillmore 7/19/24

The walk between a friend’s small Fishtown street and the complex that houses Punchline, Brooklyn Bowl, and The Fillmore (w/ The Foundry upstairs)  is approximately 10 mins. (Give or take a minute or two, if you’re like me and had to stop to say hello to a cute dog full of nervous, jumpy anxiety.) I walked in and was greeted by the sweetest folks working at the Fillmore and was led upstairs to the newly renovated The Foundry. The bar know surrounds the area with the booths and ramp walkway. The FOH has been moved to the middle with merch on the sides of the room. Everything else stayed the same. The same gritty industrial feel that is the stage for Los Angeles natives The Strike to perform for the first time ever. I follow them ardently as they announced new tour dates and new music and when I scanned for Philadelphia (as usual) – I let out a big whoop that scared my cat. I have wanted to watch them live for ages, since first discovering them in 2018 and got to scratch off seeing them live for the first time in Philly on my 2024 Bingo card. I have been pretty lethargic the last few weeks but seeing this amazing, high energy band live pulled me out of a slump. 

I walked in just as Ethan Thompson was getting rowdy and intimate with the Philly crowd. He’s better known as Alt Bloom and instantly made a fan out of me. This was the first time hearing his music and I was for sure impressed. You see it takes a lot for me to really get into newer music but Ethan’s vocals shined through the multi-instrumental beats. Backed by Alex Palazzo of The Strike on guitar. The two made an incredible first impression and even got a fan stoked after he dedicated a song called “Jeans and a T-Shirt”. I really feel that Alt Bloom has a deep connection with his fans and makes them feel seen and heard. Even going as far to spend a bit of his time by the merch table saying hello in between sets. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Alt Bloom. Moreso I can’t wait to see a full headlining set really soon. 

You can find more info on Ethan and Alt Bloom at this link. 

Once the switch over was done, my nerves resurfaced once more as I was finally going to fulfill a 7 year-ish bucket list item and see The Strike live and in color. The band is fronted by Chris Crabb, with Alex Palazzo, David Maemone , Frank Ojeda and Jay Tibbitts. There’s a saxophonist too who just amplifies the entire discography that much harder than it already was. Once the lights died down, the band walked on stage with Crabb taking center-stage as they jump right into their set for the night with Overtime. The energy surged through the roof and stayed there until the last fan left the building. It was spectacular and there was a ton of male fans there just dancing and singing along. It was so nice to see them shine as it was their first ever show in Philly. They’ve had a decorated career so far with accolades ranging from being on Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before to being asked by Quincy Jones himself to do a 3-month residency over in Dubai. 

From the side of the crowd, I can see how happy and proud every one was of their band. You can see them recording the songs on their phones to watch later. One fan even bumped into me while dancing along to Human Right and another just had to hug their friend because it was the best night ever. I have sang their praises so much on this past blog post with a review of Just Like Paradise but they are the real deal. Besides Chris Crabb gives off major Elvis Presley vibes and you cannot unsee that. I left the venue smiling from ear to ear with a logo enamel pin in my black shoulder bag. I kept singing along to a lot of the songs on my walk back to my friends place and even stopped by a corner store to grab a drink to commemorate the occasion. 

If you can get to a show this summer, please do so! It is a night full of good vibes, great music and even better company.